A repeat offender has been given almost three months to change his ways or face jail.

Damon Bell appeared at Preston Crown Court last week charged with a non-dwelling burglary after he entered a block of flats which were being refurbished and left with thousands of pounds worth of tools, causing the same amount in damage.

Beth Pilling, prosecuting, said Bell, of Bonum Court, Dunoon Drive, Blackburn, had entered the flats with another person around 2am on December 17.

When one of the site workers went to attend two days later, on December 19, he found the property had been broken into – the door was off its hinges and unscrewed.

Ms Pilling said: “He assumed it was the electrician but then as he entered the flats found a muddy carpet and a smashed window and found his tools had been taken.

“The value of the tools was £950, some of which, £750 worth, were recovered.”

Ms Pilling said the break-in was reported and CCTV showed the defendant moving items into the garden of a neighbouring property.

It was the occupant of that neighbouring property who had told the defendant he could leave the items there, and this is where police recovered them from.

Damage to the property was around £1,000 and an oven worth £300 was also damaged, with Ms Pilling saying the workmen estimated thousands in trade work had been lost as well.

Bell, 36, who has nine convictions for 17 previous offences, was arrested on December 19 and gave no comment interviews.

He was given a suspended sentence in June for criminal damage, possession of a bladed article and possession of class A drugs, and a conditional discharge in November for making off without payment, and by committing the burglary had been in breach of both these sentences.

Defending Bell, Umar Shazad said his client clearly had “significant mental health issues” and mitigated for another suspended sentence.

Judge Darren Preston said he had three options – to jail Bell, hand him another suspended sentence, or defer the sentence to see if he could behave.

Judge Preston said he was reluctant to choose either of the first two options, so deferred the sentence until April 21, to give Bell an opportunity to change his ways.